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My family stayed at the pelican hill resort for four nights and we absolutely loved it! Everything is beautiful and very well displayed. However, It is hard not to order food and drinks by the pool and at the resort restaurants, which seems to add up very quickly. Everything is very highly priced, and after just two fruity drinks by the pool we had a bill for $50. Other than that, our stay was flawless. The service is great and the pool is amazing. Though we did not use the golf course, it looked immaculate. There were lots of other kids and adults, and we made lots of friends. The food is overall very good and nicely sized portions. We could not have asked for a better place to stay!

Stayed July 2014

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PelicanHillResort, General Manager at The Resort at Pelican Hill, responded to this review,
July 25, 2014

I am delighted to learn that you and your family loved your recent trip to Pelican Hill, and appreciate you sharing your thoughtful comments about the food, pool and service. We hope to welcome you back soon.

Kind regards,

Giuseppe LamaManaging DirectorThe Resort at Pelican Hill

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I really enjoy the general location of this hotel. The rooms are large and well-appointed. The property is near the coast but not a walk down to the beach. There are shuttlees every hour.. There is an enormous pool with good pool service. Bkfst was great, albeit expensive for the buffet at $55 per person. Dinner at Colliseum was beautifull , we sat in a private cabana whichi was great, but two items brought to the table of 7 people had actually gone bad. Andrea's is better, more formal, but indoors. The spa is really nice, and I had a grewat massage with a therapist there.ONe thing to note, I book wiht Amex Platinum always. This hotel is does not give upgrades even if there is availability. I have stayed at least a dozen times and that has consistently been the case. So you need to book exactly the room type you want to be in. This time I booked within a day and the reservation agent told me that the Ocean View Bungalow would upgrade to a suite upon availability. I checked and there was plenty of availability when we checked it but they still did not upgrade. Just something to note b/cthe neighboring beach properites in Laguna have been more generous with the upgrades. Overall a nice place to stay with proximity to the best shopping and restaurants in Orange County.

Room Tip: Pay for what you want. They have not upgraded us in a dozen+ stays since they opened.

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Stayed July 2014, traveled with family

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PelicanHillResort, General Manager at The Resort at Pelican Hill, responded to this review,
July 25, 2014

We are thankful for your numerous visits to Pelican Hill, and appreciate you taking the time to post your feedback about your most recent stay. While I am pleased to read about your consistent enjoyment of your accommodations, as well as your time at the Coliseum Pool, Andrea and the Spa, I am disappointed to learn that your dining experience at Coliseum Pool & Grill was not up to standard. I have personally addressed these comments with our management team. We hope to see you again soon.

Kind regards,

Giuseppe LamaManaging DirectorThe Resort at Pelican Hill

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WOW!! I had family visiting from the east coast and we traveled from San Diego to Catalina for the day. I'm not familiar with Newport so I asked a friend who lives in Newport to recommend a nice place for dinner with a great view for our guests. My family was blown away. From the moment we pulled up to the valet at the Coliseum Grill to when we asked for our check - I was VERY happy. In fact, I will return with my hubby to enjoy a weekend at this resort - I was so impressed. This is a top notch property worthy of all it's accolades in Newport. Our dinner was delicious!! service was very good. Mind you, we were not dressed to impress (long day of driving...) but we were treated like royalty. I wish I lived closer - I would come here every week!

Stayed July 2014, traveled with family

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PelicanHillResort, General Manager at The Resort at Pelican Hill, responded to this review,
July 25, 2014

Kara,

I am pleased that you enjoyed your experience at Coliseum Pool & Grill with your family. It is our mission to provide every guest with Five-Star service, and I am delighted that this was reflected in your short visit here. We look forward to welcoming you and your husband for a weekend at our Tuscan seaside village.

Kind regards,

Giuseppe LamaManaging DirectorThe Resort at Pelican Hill

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I grew up in Hawaii and was privileged to visit many of the exclusive resorts on the Islands. The facilities, staff and amenities at Pelican Hill are among the best I have ever experienced. The view of the Newport Coasts from our room was excellent and made morning coffee a joy. I highly recommend the massage, it is an excellent way to begin your vacation.

Stayed June 2014, traveled as a couple

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PelicanHillResort, General Manager at The Resort at Pelican Hill, responded to this review,
July 25, 2014

Rich,

Thank you for sharing your gracious feedback about Pelican Hill. I am delighted to read how much you enjoyed the Resort’s facilities, staff, amenities and spa treatment, and have taken the time to thank our entire staff for making your experience excellent.

Kind regards,

Giuseppe LamaManaging DirectorThe Resort at Pelican Hill

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Just returned from a brief mother-daughter sojourn at Pelican Hill. There are no rooms in the main building - all rooms are bungalows or villas, and the word bungalow doesn't do them justice. We stayed in a bungalow guest room with a distant view of the ocean from the terrace. The room was gorgeous - two large Queen beds, desk and chairs, fireplace - beautifully decorated - vaulted wood- beam ceiling, sliding glass doors to the private terrace which had a glass wall and two chaise lounges, table and chairs, huge bathroom with a large tub, double sinks, separate WC, and walk-in shower without curtain - terrific water pressure. The room was QUIET, firm yet downy mattresses, complimentary water, free wi-fi, and complimentary parking which is unheard of in CA (we were able to walk to the main lobby and spa, but you could call for complimentary shuttle service) - could go on and on. I am not a huge traveler, but I've done my share and prefer to stay in a 5 star hotel when possible. Pelican Hill exceeded my expectations and was one of the most elegant rooms I've stayed in. I titled my review Understated Elegance because we were able to dress down and be casual in such amazing surroundings. The pool area is gorgeous although we did not avail ourselves of its use. We had dinner at the Pelican Grill on the verandah overlooking the pool. The evening was enjoyable with fine service. The next day we had lunch at the Pelican Hill Golf Club, another pleasant experience. I would be remiss in not commending Shaylin, from Concierge services, who miraculously found us two loge center tickets for that evening's performance of Pageant of the Masters in Laguna Beach - she drove quite a distance to pick them up for us and when one speaks about "going the extra mile", she literally did!! Kudos, Shaylin!! I hope to return to Pelican Hill in the not too distant future.

Stayed July 2014, traveled with family

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PelicanHillResort, General Manager at The Resort at Pelican Hill, responded to this review,
July 16, 2014

Janice,

I am delighted to read how much you enjoyed your recent mother-daughter trip to Pelican Hill, and appreciate you taking the time to post your gracious comments. I am pleased that your experience exceeded your expectations, and personally passed along my gratitude to Shaylin in Concierge for assisting you with your Pageant of the Masters tickets. We hope to welcome you back soon!

Kind regards,

Giuseppe LamaManaging DirectorThe Resort at Pelican Hill

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I had the opportunity to stay at Pelican Hill in October. The weather was perfect and the resort equally so. Although the reception lacked a warm and fuzzy feeling they were excellent in service. I was fortunate to stay in a 2 bedroom villa on the top floor with an amazing view. Although my villa was a distance away from the main building and services I never had to wait longer than it took for me to make it downstairs. The entire property is beautiful, the view spectacular and the food yummy. Looking for a 5 star experience with that California Feeling one can only get in California? This is a great place to give a try.

Stayed October 2013, traveled with family

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PelicanHillResort, General Manager at The Resort at Pelican Hill, responded to this review,
July 16, 2014

Thank you for providing your feedback about your recent visit to Pelican Hill. I am pleased to read that you enjoyed your Villa accommodations and dining experiences, and hope to welcome you back in the future.

Kind regards,

Giuseppe LamaManaging DirectorThe Resort at Pelican Hill

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Took my family here for a trip in March and it was excellent. They were able to accommodate all of our requests and then some. We had a great view of the ocean from our room. Understand, this property is NOT on the ocean so your not going to have a beachfront view but some rooms have a much better view than others. They are constantly bring fruit, snacks, water, etc to your room. The rooms are very tastefully decorated. The sleep experience is great. The linens are great. The toiletries are great. We had a nice relaxing day by the pool in one of the cabanas and they pampered us all day in it. We played one of the golf courses and found it to be just ok. Not what I was expecting from an ocean course but it had some cool holes. I travel a lot and try to stay at upscale places and this one is among the best. There is some stiff competition in this area but Pelican holds its own.

This review is the subjective opinion of a TripAdvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.

PelicanHillResort, General Manager at The Resort at Pelican Hill, responded to this review,
July 16, 2014

I am delighted that you enjoyed your family trip to Pelican Hill earlier this year. It is our aim to deliver Five-Star service to every guest, and I am pleased to read that this was reflected in your stay. We appreciate you posting your feedback, and hope to see you and your family back here soon.

Kind regards,

Giuseppe LamaManaging DirectorThe Resort at Pelican Hill

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Set on 504 acres by the Pacific Ocean in Newport Beach, The Resort at Pelican Hill(R) features: 128 two-, three- and four-bedroom villas with magnificent coastal views and an unparalleled array of appointments, immersing guests in the absolute finest of everything; 204 luxuriously appointed bungalow guest rooms and suites with private terraces; a rejuvenating Five-Star spa with a menu of the world's most celebrated therapies; world-class restaurants, including Andrea serving authentic Northern Italian cuisine; an iconic "Coliseum Pool," one of the largest circular pools anywhere with tiered decks and luxurious cabanas; and Pelican Hill Golf Club with 36 dramatic holes by Tom Fazio, nearly all with ocean panoramas. A Five-Star, Five-Diamond destination, Pelican Hill has earned acclaim as the 2012 Grand Resort selected by Andrew Harper's Hideaway Report; as Conde Nast Traveler Readers' Choice Awards Top Southern California Resort (2013 & 2012), Top U.S. Resort (2011), Top-Rated Golf Resort Worldwide (2012) and Top-Rated California Resort Spa (2012); in Travel + Leisure's "Top 100" World's Best Hotels (2011 Readers' Poll), and with two courses ranked among Golf Digest's America's 100 Greatest Public Golf Courses (2011)....more less

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Pelican Hill Hotel Newport Beach

Hotel At Pelican Hill

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